In this episode of the WeMarketers Podcast, host Andrew interviews Alina Belascu, the marketing manager at Tidaro. Alina shares her extensive experience in marketing, including transitioning from B2C to B2B, and the evolution and rebranding of Tidaro from Parkanizer. She discusses the challenges of working in a small team, including resource limitations and competitive markets, and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing tasks based on their potential revenue impact.
Alina also explores collaborative efforts in the team, creative approaches to marketing problems, the role of content marketing, and the strategic use of AI tools. She shares anecdotes about the rebranding process, the importance of collaboration across departments, and her personal growth through photography. The conversation ends with Alina’s tips on effective marketing strategies and her sources of inspiration.
Connect with Alina Belascu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinabelascu/
Connect with Andrew Demianenko: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-demian/
Andrew: Hello and welcome to the WeMarketers Podcast. I am Andrew, and my today’s guest is Alina Belascu, Marketing Manager at Tidaro. Alina, I’m super happy to have you today.
Alina: The same for me, Andrew. I’m glad to reconnect. I started working in marketing about 11 years ago with Google Ads and then moved across the whole funnel, becoming a manager and a T-shaped marketer with a focus on Google Ads. Later, I transitioned into content, ABM, and other B2B-related areas. I also worked in B2C across different verticals, so I can say I’ve experienced a lot in the last 11 years and am still learning. This is continuous learning.
Andrew: Yeah, our topic today will be about marketing leadership within small teams. I know you work in a small team of only two people, and I totally get how challenging that can be. From your perspective, what are the main challenges you face working in a small team?
Alina: First, I want to explain a bit about Tidaro just to give an overview of what we do and how we started. We initially launched as Parkanizer a few years back. It was a tool designed to help office managers deal with parking logistics, allowing employees to book a parking spot. You know how frustrating it can be to arrive at a full parking lot or see empty assigned spots that you can’t use. That’s what we aimed to solve. But then the pandemic hit, and we saw opportunities to pivot the product towards desk booking.
At that time, people needed to maintain some distance, like two meters between desks and colleagues. So, our tool was used to book a desk and keep everyone safe. Eventually, it transformed into a tool that enabled hybrid working. Many companies began downsizing, allowing people to work from home, leading to scenarios like having 300 employees but only 100 desks. They needed a system to schedule when people would come into the office and ensure a desk was available for them.
This shift made the name Parkanizer less relevant to what we were doing, so we rebranded to Tidaro. You mentioned we’re a small team—yes, we’re just two marketers, but the entire team is about 12 people. Despite our size, we work hard and have managed to land some big-name clients. This makes us proud and motivates us to continue developing the product and gaining more market share.
Going back to your question about challenges in small teams, it’s hard to pinpoint just one. I’d say it’s a combination of limited resources—both in terms of people and budget—since we’re self-sustaining, combined with a tough market. We weren’t the only ones to discover the niche of desk booking, so it’s competitive. The main challenge we face is determining which tasks take priority. We’re just two people with a lot of tasks and strategies in mind, so we always consider factors like the resources needed (marketing tools, design, budget, time, people), the urgency of the task, and the potential impact on metrics like revenue or reach. Our North Star metric is revenue, so that weighs heavily in our decision-making. We ask ourselves which strategy or task will bring in the most revenue the fastest.
Andrew: When it comes to balancing immediate needs with future goals, it’s always tough, right? We always have urgent tasks like publishing blog posts, social media posts, and so on. These tasks need to be done today, but there are also tasks with more long-lasting impact. How do you balance between immediate needs and long-term goals?
Alina: I have to admit, I tend to procrastinate at times, and I think it happens to all of us. I can also get caught up in doing too much research, avoiding tasks I don’t like. But I always try to take a step back and reassess what actually needs to be done. When it comes to planning, I leave some room for the unexpected because I’m aware of the planning fallacy bias that Daniel Kahneman coined. Our brains are wired to think positively and underestimate deadlines, but it’s important to be conscious of this.
There’s a scientific reason for this: our brains are big energy consumers, using about 20% of the body’s total energy, even though they only account for 2% of the body’s weight. To save energy, the brain groups information into patterns and clusters, which leads to biases. But if we’re aware of these biases, we can find solutions. In terms of planning, I call it the Holy Trinity: prioritization, segmentation of tasks, and leaving buffer time.
I’ve already mentioned how we prioritize based on resources and urgency, with our North Star metric being revenue. But when it comes to segmentation and buffer time, I have an example. As I mentioned earlier, we transitioned from Parkanizer to Tidaro, a whole rebranding process that we started at the end of 2022 and completed in February 2023. We use ClickUp as our task management tool, breaking tasks down into categories and priorities—whether something is urgent, normal, or low priority—and setting deadlines. We also create detailed subtasks because under every big strategy, like a website redesign, there’s a huge amount of work, such as how many pages there are, legal requirements, blog updates, and so on.
Having everything detailed helped us avoid underestimating how long tasks would take. It was also crucial for us to stay in sync, not just within marketing and sales but also with support and development teams. We needed everyone on the same page to avoid miscommunication and back-and-forth changes. We managed to hit our planned go-live date for the rebrand on February 1st.
But as I mentioned, I do tend to procrastinate. Sometimes I spend too much time on an email, trying to make it perfect, or on ad design, looking for inspiration and putting ideas on a board. At that point, I have to step back and ask myself if this effort will truly impact revenue or if it’s just a nice-to-have. This differentiation between must-haves and nice-to-haves is essential.
Andrew: That’s a very structured approach, and I love these three pillars for balancing immediate needs with long-term goals. When you work in a small team, creativity is crucial to using limited resources effectively. Can you share an example of a creative solution you used to solve a marketing problem?
Alina: Sure! One example that comes to mind is during the rebranding period I mentioned earlier. We didn’t hire an external agency due to budget constraints, so we did everything ourselves. We wanted to involve the whole team to ensure everyone felt aligned, included, and represented in the new brand.
Besides the workshops on buyer personas, audience, values, and mission, we started a creative workshop with the entire team on Miro. We created a board and began discussing brand archetypes. I introduced the team to a series of brand archetypes, traits, and characters, and we asked questions like, “If Tidaro were a movie character, who would it be?” or “If Tidaro were a song, which song would it be?” These discussions helped us align on a direction for the brand’s personality.
For example, we talked about tiny heroes combined with normal people, symbolizing our mission to make a small but significant change in the world by helping teams adopt hybrid work. We associated Tidaro with warm colors, vibrancy, and comfort, reflecting our emphasis on customer support and well-being. This input was invaluable for our design team, making it easy for them to develop the logo and visual identity. We avoided lengthy feedback rounds because everything flowed smoothly from the start.
Andrew: That sounds like a fantastic process, and it’s great to see how it brought the team together. Let’s talk a bit about your content marketing activities. Actually, we met through your content marketing approach when you reached out to invite one of our recruiters to your interview series for Tidaro. From my experience, interviews are one of the best ways to connect with your audience and provide valuable content. How do you use content marketing in your strategy, and what types of content work best for you?
Alina: Initially, we started with keyword research and creating articles that focused on solving problems with actionable steps. However, the competition in the hybrid work niche is fierce, with plenty of content on topics like the pros and cons of hybrid work. So, we decided to differentiate by conducting interviews with experts in HR, workplace experience, and office admin—essentially, the audience we’re targeting. These interviews allowed us to provide more value by sharing insights from real people leading teams in the workplace.
Content marketing isn’t easy, and organic traffic can be slow to grow, especially in such a competitive niche. Recently, there’s been a lot of debate about Google’s algorithm not favoring content from small websites, and we’ve felt that challenge. Even if we produce high-quality content, it can remain hidden without proper distribution and link-building efforts. Link-building has been particularly tough for us, especially with the domain rating metric, which often leaves us stuck in a chicken-and-egg dilemma.
Despite these challenges, we’ve found that interviews can serve as linkable assets, and now we’re exploring other strategies, such as storytelling about how major companies like Canva or Atlassian manage hybrid work. This approach is more qualitative and original, and we hope it will yield long-term results.
Andrew: Definitely, we can learn so much from brands like those, and your readers can too. Returning to interviews, I found many of them on your website, and they are absolutely great. What advice do you have for marketers who are planning to conduct interviews? How can they make them effective?
Alina: I’ll be honest—around one in six people I reach out to respond positively, which I think is a good conversion rate considering our small team and growing audience. To make the interviews effective, I always do thorough research on the interviewee. I look at what they write about on LinkedIn, other interviews or podcasts they’ve done, and then I make a personalized video invitation for them. In the video, I often suggest a topic they might be interested in based on my research. This personalized approach, along with putting a face to the brand, has been very effective.
Andrew: That’s a great approach, and it’s clear that personalization pays off. Now, when it comes to marketing, it’s hard to avoid the topic of AI. From your experience, what tools do you use, and how has AI impacted your marketing activities?
Alina: We all started with ChatGPT, and I’ve used it to structure ideas for blog articles or long-form content. However, I quickly realized that it’s essential to double-check the information because sometimes it leads to non-existent websites. So, I use AI as a co-pilot that requires my human input and experience.
I’ve also started using Google’s Gemini, which I prefer because it provides different variations, from fluffy and full of buzzwords to more down-to-earth versions. I don’t like copy that’s overly clickbaity, so I always aim for a balanced approach. AI definitely saves me time, especially in social media, blog articles, email writing, and even long-form copy, but I’m very picky with the prompts I give and always refine them to ensure they align with my style.
Another tool I use is Lovo.ai, which has been great for creating tutorials and voiceovers, especially since I’m not a fan of hearing my own voice in recordings. These AI tools are helpful, but they still need a human touch to be effective.
Andrew: Definitely, AI is a powerful tool, but it’s still no substitute for the human element. How do you collaborate with other departments on a day-to-day basis in your marketing activities, and how do you build collaboration with external teams?
Alina: Internally, we have weekly syncs with the dev team because marketers need to know what’s being developed and when, so we can plan our communication strategies accordingly. We stay in sync with the development timelines, knowing what might get postponed or reprioritized.
For marketing and sales, we have a monthly sync where we review our plans, check if we’re on track, and discuss any urgent matters or trends we’ve noticed. We also have an ad hoc system for quick meetings when something needs immediate attention. We maintain a shared Teams channel where we post feedback from leads, clients, and our own channels of communication. This feedback loop allows us to quickly assess the significance of feedback and decide whether to implement changes.
Externally, we communicate with partners and collaborators regularly, ensuring everyone is on the same page and aligned with our goals.
Andrew: It sounds like you have a solid system for collaboration. Now, on a more personal note, I know you’re into photography, as am I. How does photography help you in marketing? Is there a connection?
Alina: Yes, I believe there is. I’m mostly into event and people photography, including social and charitable events. Photography has helped me get out of my comfort zone, as I’m an introvert. At conferences, I might be in a corner, observing, but with a camera in hand, I feel empowered. This confidence has translated into other areas of my life, including marketing.
Photography has also given me a better eye for design and aesthetics, which helps me collaborate more effectively with design teams. It’s also taught me adaptability and structuring, skills that are invaluable in marketing.
Andrew: That’s a great connection between your hobby and your work. Finally, I have a couple of blitz questions for you. What is your favorite marketing tool?
Alina: Miro. I was introduced to it by a colleague, and I quickly fell in love with it. It’s been instrumental in our rebrand and helps us get creative and stay organized.
Andrew: Which marketing channel do you find the most effective for your campaigns?
Alina: Google Ads. Surprisingly, about 30% of our leads come from Google Ads, and it’s been working well for us.
Andrew: What’s one piece of marketing advice you wish you had known earlier?
Alina: Don’t get discouraged if results don’t arrive fast. B2B marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Results will come, but they require effort and patience.
Andrew: If you had a marketing superpower, which one would you choose?
Alina: The ability to identify intent behavior. I’m focused on performance marketing, and being able to accurately gauge intent would be incredibly valuable.
Andrew: What are your go-to sources for marketing inspiration?
Alina: I never skip newsletters from Emilia at Userpilot and SparkToro. I also love Ahrefs’ video content on SEO and content marketing. On LinkedIn, I follow influencers like Dave Harland for copywriting tips.
Andrew: Alina, thanks so much for this valuable and energetic conversation. What’s the best way for our listeners to connect with you?
Alina: Definitely LinkedIn. It’s where I’m most active, and I’m always open to connecting and building relationships.
Andrew: Thanks a lot, Alina.
Alina: Thank you for having me, Andrew. Bye-bye!